The end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014.

I've done a lot of things this year. During the summer I started back with running after having baby #5, My parents returned from Africa, I ran my 10th half marathon in November, and I've lost almost 20lbs since having Emmett. I'm hoping this new year will be a great one with some great changes, like a new house (crossing my fingers!!!) and losing even more weight so, I can be at comfortable weight where it's easier to move and to run. 

This morning I didn't get up and run. I've been thinking about running all day today, but I've been working on patching up 6 years of holes and marks on the walls of the house. I got a pic of the sunrise from our bedroom window though.

We went sledding with the kids this afternoon. I'm sure I got a LOT of steps doing that. I went up and down the hill a lot. Tomorrow I'm planning on getting out and running. I'd love to get back into the habit of going around 4 miles every day. I also need to work on tracking my food better with WW. 

There's plenty for me to do this year, but I'm going to try and make it simple and do only a couple things at a time rather than try and do everything at once. I really need to work on focusing on the important things. 

Starting early

This morning I had my alarm set to go off at 6 so I could get out early and run before Weight Watchers. Well, I hit snooze and slept in for another 30 minutes before heading out the door. It's been way too long since I've actually been outside and run. I think I was afraid of the cold and the snow and crazy drivers, but this morning I decided to get out there. It was 18°F outside and the wind wasn't too bad. I had my handy dandy balaclava mask on and my head and face was kept nice and toasty. I had 2 shirts, a jacket and my reflective vest on so, I was all ready to go.

I started to head towards the lake when I realized that 90% of the snow was actually ice so, I turned around and headed back towards the main street. (Next time I'll wear yaktraks when I want to go around the lake.) I got to the fork in the road and tried to decide which way I wanted to go to be able to see the sunrise while I ran. Well, I went right and it turned out not to be the best way to go. The sunrise was at my back the whole time. About 2 miles into my run I decided to turn around so I could get a better look at the sunrise so, I could get a picture to add to my collection. Well, bad idea. Mainly because I was wearing running tights and they weren't thick enough, so when I turned I started running into the wind and my thighs where screaming, "WHY?! Why didn't you double up on your pants???" I turned back around and kept going figuring maybe I'd get another look and a better picture later in my run when I came around the corner about a mile up the road. I got a really nice one. 

I love getting sunrise pictures. 

I'm so blessed to be able to be in a place where I can see such beautiful sunrises in the mornings. Well, I ended up running 5.25 miles. I don't know about anyone else, but for me it's SO much easier to run in the cold than it is in any other weather. I think my legs stay cool which makes it easier to run for longer periods of time without starting to ache. I know my balaclava really helped. 

This year I'm following along with Ali Edwards One Little Word this year. This will be my first time doing it, but towards the end of this year the word SUNRISE kept coming to me. I had the idea to get a picture of the sunrise every morning of 2014. This year I got about 120 pictures. I think of the sunrise as a new beginning. Every day I can start new. I'm excited to see what's in store for me and my family this year. I know it's going to be a great one. 

Swimming counts

I don't know why I think just swimming isn't enough. I don't know why it doesn't "count". It should. It's a workout. I worked hard. Just cause its not "running" doesn't mean it's not burning calories. 

Whatever. 

I swam 1300 today in 30.03. Not bad! I swam my 500 in 10.34!! That's my fastest one yet. :) I was going to run first, but I noticed that there were some open lanes at the pool so I decided to skip the run and swim first so I could get it done before those "master swimmers" came. I really need to get back to exercising at 9 every day. I feel so much better when i exercise. I'm a happier person. 

I'm really proud of my 500. I did freestyle the whole time. I'm slower at breaststroke. Before I'd mix it up every 100 yards. Tomorrow I'll run. I'm dressed to run right now. I should be running right now.... I guess I'll go run. 

Get outta my lane!

This morning I went for a 2 mile run and then went and swam for 30 minutes. The run was good. I ran in the neighborhood next to the rec center. It went quickly.

 I am REALLY not enjoying this "master swim" that's been going on during my swim time. Don't get me wrong, I really not mind sharing a lane, but when someone gets in my way and stands right where I need to turn around that's when I don't like sharing a lane. Just cause you're a "master swimmer" and I'm just a lap swimmer doesn't mean you can claim the lane and be rude. I got 1300 yds done in 30.39. I swam my fastest 500 today! Yay. :) I think I was just wanting to get it done and get out of there.

L1-1.55.49

L2-2.26.57

L3-2.01.64

L4-2.29.54

L5-1.58.40

(500 in 10.51.64)

KICK

L6-2.40.19

L7-2.41.85

L8-2.39.11

L9-2.37.26

L10-2.38.15

PULL

L11-2.04.20

L12-2.23.22

L13-2.03.38

Total: 30.39.00

(lap average 2.21.46)

Not bad, not bad. :) I felt good today. It's nice to swim after a run. It's a good way to stretch out your muscles. My legs aren't aching as much from doing the breaststroke anymore. So, that's good. 

Tomorrow I'll run 3 miles. Fun, fun. :)

Made it happen

Today I was without a car. I didn't have a way to get to the pool. I was going to just walk today for my cross training but, I decided that I would actually need a car for the kids school... anyway. An awesome friend let me borrow her car to run my errands and to get my swim in. I swam 1200 in 30.02

FREE

L1- 2.04.15

L2- 2.16.66

L3- 2.18.06

L4- 2.27.19

L5- 2.23.47

(500 in 11.29.53)

KICK

L6- 2.31.73

L7- 2.51.82

L8- 2.44.60

L9- 2.50.38

PULL

L10- 2.31.61

L11- 2.34.27

L12- 2.27.16

Total: 1200 in 30.01.10

I used to be the only one in the pool, but it looks like the "masters swim" is going on at 9 am every morning. Ugh... I hate sharing a lane. I hope it changes soon. Oh well, at least I got it done. :)

Day 1 of half marathon training... DONE

I started to run on the treadmill while Jason was exercising... Yeah, not the best idea. Rose came down stairs wanting attention. Treadmills + 2 year olds= not a good idea. Anyway. I ended up going around the neighborhood later on in the day. It was windy and chilly and there was a light drizzle. My legs were still sore from my big swim on Saturday, but I was able to do 5k in 37 min. Not bad. I gotta get back into the groove of things. 

2000 yards!

I didn't really want to swim today. I was sore from my run yesterday and I wasn't feeling it 100%, but I had to keep my routine. If I gave it up right now I'd fall behind and I'm doing so well right now. Anyway... I got to the pool and the little kid's swim team was going on. There was 1 lane open for me so, I got started and then switched over to a different lane once everyone cleared out. I started out planning on doing 1700 again, but once I hit 1800 I figured I'd keep going. :) I even pushed it on the last lap so I could get 2000 in under 50 min. I hit it in 49.17!!! Yay!!

FREE/BREAST

L1- 2.02.76

L2- 2.15.22

L3- 2.37.07

L4- 2.42.60

L5- 2.12.25

(500 IN 11.49.90)

KICK

L6- 2.35.60

L7- 2.38.68

L8- 2.42.09

L9- 2.39.09

L10- 2.37.48

PULL

L11- 2.09.62

L12- 2.19.56

L13- 2.27.18

L14- 2.23.61

L15- 2.25.97

BREAST

L16- 2.35.07

L17- 2.51.43

L18- 2.47.11

FREE

L19- 2.14.68

L20- 2.00.53

Total: 2000 in 49.17.60

I felt AWESOME!!!! I was gasping for air on that last lap though, I'm not gonna lie. lol! It wasn't easy to go that fast after that much. 

Running, running, running!

It was a windy and cold, but I wanted to run. I ran and I ran. I ran 3.16 miles and then walked 1. Well, the 1 I walked I did fartleks, so it wasn't a total walk. Each time there was a down hill I'd run as fast as I could from sign to sign. It felt good to get out there. It wasn't as easy as it was the other day on the treadmill, but that's ok. I'll get back into it. I think I'm going to start a half marathon plan. I've gotta get some structure in my routine, plus I have a couple of half marathons planned for this year and I want to do them right. I have 11 weeks and 6 days until the first one I have planned (The Hobbler Half).

Faster!

Tuesday I didn't swim or run. The day was full with day to day stuff and there was a Drs appointment right during my normal swim time. Wednesday I swam. There were a TON of people there. I had to share a lane with some guy. I was all self conscious so I started off with kicking and then started my normal swimming once everyone started leaving and I could get a lane of my own. I ended up doing 1700 in 43.15. It took my 14 min to do 500 and that's cause I kicked all of it. 

Today it was busy again. I didn't have to share a lane (yay!) I really hope this doesn't become a new thing. I enjoy just being the only one there swimming laps. Today I felt strong. It was nice. 

FREE/BREAST

L1- 2.08.46

L2- 2.36.55

L3- 2.06.30

L4- 2.36.61

L5- 2.21.19

(500 in 11.49.11)

KICK

L6- 2.25.21

L7- 2.34.38

L8- 2.31.30

L9- 2.36.70

L10- 2.33.98

PULL

L11- 2.06.46

L12- 2.29.56

L13- 2.41.22

BREAST

L14- 2.38.54

L15- 2.47.27

L16- 2.49.40

FREE

L17-2.19.37

L18-2.33.64

Total: 1800 in 44.56.11

Today I tried paying attention to my strokes when it came to freestyle. I wanted to make sure that I took nice long strokes and practiced breathing from both sides. One thing I noticed was I have a stronger stroke when I breath to my left, but I'm  weaker breathing to that side. So, today when I swam I made sure to switch off and on between my left and right sides. I also noticed that my body naturally went into a dolphin kick when I pushed off the sides. My body is starting to get back into the groove of swimming. I was amazed that I was able to do my 500 in 11.49. That's my fastest one yet. I'm trying to figure out when the best time to start adding running would be. Do I do it before a couple hours earlier in the morning when everyone is still sleeping? Or do I do it right before I swim? Or do I wait later in the day? I don't know. I just know that I would enjoy adding running to my routine again. I just have to figure out a time when it doesn't take away from family time. 

Swimming and Boston

This morning I went to the gym with Jason and the kids. Jason was going to do the elliptical while I swam. There were a lot of people up in the treadmill/elliptical room so, Jason was nervous. I went down and swam with my CHARGED ipod. I really liked having music while I swam. There's a couple things that I'm going to have to get used to with listening to music while swimming. The earphones are SO good that they block out ALL outside noise, so it throws me off some mentally. I like to hear what's going on around me so having them plugged makes my head feel weird. The other thing is the length of the cord on the earphones. I have them wrapped up like I'm supposed to, but I have to find the perfect length. I had them too long today and the bugged me a little. All in all though, I loved it. It was great. I did well and I felt good. I think I'm pushing it more while I swim and that's a good thing. I was starting to feel tired towards the end. Backstroke isn't my friend. I always run into the sides. I only did about 50 of that, but I could feel it working other muscles so, I think tomorrow I'll work on it more and get better. 

FREE/BREAST/SIDE

L1-1.58.01

L2-2.15.92

L3-2.39.91

L4-2.41.00

L5-2.45.32

(500 in 12.20.16)

KICK

L6-2.35.22

L7-2.27.32

L8-2.35.41

L9-2.39.23

PULL

L10-2.20.79

L11-2.30.47

L12-2.16.90

L13-2.26.59

FREE/BREAST/BACK

L14-2.36.99

L15-2.30.63

L16-2.31.22

Total: 39.50.93

Well, my little brother and cousin ran Boston today. My bro finished in 3.01 and my cousin finished in 3.17. They're awesome runners. Both of them are ok after the race. They finished long before the explosions. My brother was at a friends house, but from what I understand one of the explosions was in my cousin's hotel. They said she left the finish line area right before the explosion and is ok. What a crazy thing to happen! I hope all those involved are taken care of. What a horrible thing to happen on such a wonderful day. 

Swimming+running=AWESOME!

Guess what came in the mail yesterday... A waterproof iPod Shuffle from AudioFlood!! I was SOOO excited to use it today, but due to user error I was dumb and didn't charge it. Lame! Oh well, it's charging now and I will use it on Monday. The headphones though are pretty awesome. I used them on the treadmill this morning while I ran 5k and watched a couple shows on History and Discovery. They kept me distracted and the headphones blocked out all the sound around me so all I focused on was the show. 

You know what's awesome about swimming... it makes running SOOO much easier. I ran 5k this morning like it was NOTHING. My legs didn't ache, my breathing was normal, and most of all, I felt strong. 

After the run I showered off and then went to the pool. I felt nice and warmed up. My arms and legs were ready to go, plus the cool water felt awesome after a hot run. My watch only goes up to 30 laps so, I changed it so each lap=100. I wasn't too sure how I'd do with that just cause it's tough to keep count sometimes, but it seemed to work well. I just messed up once. Today I ended up doing  1300 in 31.53! LOVE it!!

FREE/BREAST

L1-2.17.21

L2-2.02.79

L3-2.43.68

L4-2.44.07

L5-2.43.06

(500 in 12.31.71)

KICK

L6-2.36.54

L7-2.31.17

L8-2.37.26

L9-2.35.74

PULL

L10-2.07.02

L11-2.29.27

FREE/BREAST

L12-2.06.60

L13-2.17.70

TOTAL: 31.53.01

I felt good today. I felt strong. I even pushed it a few times and swam free as fast as I could. The best part about this week of swimming.... I'm down 2.6 pounds this week!!! Yes!!! Now, if I can just keep this up it'd be awesome!!

Stronger and faster

I went to the pool again today. It's so nice when you start to get into a routine. I'm excited to see this baby weight fall and the inches drop. It's tough not to get self conscious in the pool when you've got the back fat going on and thunder thighs, but hey, I have 5 awesome kids. They're worth all of it. Now, I just need to work hard and get in shape. 

FREE

L1- 54.19

L2- 1.07.26

BREAST

L3- 1.21.91

L4- 1.20.16

SIDE

L5- 1.25.10

L6- 1.24.00

FREE

L7- 1.03.44

L8- 1.07.66

BREAST

L9- 1.22.39

L10- 1.18.38

(500 in 12.23.49)

KICK

L11- 1.28.25

L12- 1.19.91

L13- 1.16.49

L14- 1.16.72

L15- 1.11.48

L16- 1.18.59

L17- 1.18.67

L18- 1.17.71

L19- 1.17.96

L20- 1.18.31

PULL

L21- 1.07.62

L22- 1.10.74

L23- 1.18.06

L24- 1.20.90

Total: 1200 in 30.24.90

I shaved off SO much time. I love it!!! None of the numbers went into the 1.30s. When I was at my peak back around 1996-1997 I could swim a 500 close to 6 minutes. I wonder if I could do that again. I wonder if I could get to that point. How awesome would that be. I'm going to have to change my header up there and include a pair of swim goggles in the picture and change the name. 

Now, I need to clean the house before Jason gets home. That should give me a good amount of steps. There's a LOT to do. 

Swimming...

Ok, so... I've noticed a lot of the running bloggers aren't just running anymore. Or some have quit all together. I have started swimming again. I'm getting into a routine and I'm going to start throwing in some running each week. I have a couple half marathons this year and I need to be in running shape for those. I just need to be patient with myself. 

So, here's my swim stats for today:

It took me 30.11! Not bad for 1100. Yesterday I did 1000 ( I think... I lost count. I think I might have done more) in 33 min. Today I brought a watch with me and used it to track my laps.

FREESTYLE

L1- 56.70

L2- 1.09.60

L3- 1.33.14

L4- 1.36.47

BREAST STROKE

L5- 1.30.71

L6- 1.29.76

L7- 1.08.32

L8- 1.25.36

SIDE STROKE

L9- 1.26.82

L10- 1.29.24

L11- 1.34.40

L12- 1.24.90

FREE

L13- 1.26.52

L14- 1.28.53

BREAST

L15- 1.21.11

L16- 1.21.95

KICK

L17- 1.23.04

L18- 1.25.93

L19- 1.24.06

L20- 56.80

FREE

L21- 1.25.28

L22- 1.13.07

I like seeing the numbers. I'm excited to see the numbers change. I felt really good today. I felt stronger.  I felt like I was getting into the groove of swimming again. I love it!! I can't wait until my swim suit doesn't fit cause I'm thinner and I can get a smaller better looking one. 

The lady next to me had one of these awesome ipod shuffles that is water proof!! 

How cool would that be?! I'd love to have one. 

I think tonight I'll get on the treadmill and walk some just to do it. 

Ok, ok...

My mom asked me today why I haven't been writing on my running blog. The answer: I've been a slacker. Ok, so maybe not a TOTAL slacker, I've walked around the lake a few times with the family and I traveled last week, but I haven't run since I lost my mojo a few days ago. I don't know, I feel guilty sometimes when I run/exercise during the day unless it involves the family. I really need to get back to exercising in the morning like I used to. It's nicer to get it done early AND it's ME time. Maybe if I go to bed early and then wake up and do it after I nurse Emmett at 5-6 in the morning. We'll see. I'll try it out next week and see how it goes. 

Well, after talking to my mom I decided to go out and run. It was windy. The wind was blowing at about 23mph. There was a couple times when I felt like I was going to get blown away. Brianna went with me. She rode her bike and enjoyed the 2nd half of the run. The first half was into the wind the whole time. I just kept telling her once we hit the halfway mark we'd have the wind to our backs and it'd be a lot easier. I only stopped to walk a couple times when Brianna needed me. I was able to keep running after stopping. Before that was a tough thing to do. I think the last few runs on the treadmill where I ran/walked really helped with that. I'll have to keep practicing with that, but I've gotta keep it with the walk 2/run 3 thing cause, when I did 5/5 that's when I lost my mojo. I think it was too much too soon. I don't know. It's tough to make your own workout plans. 

 A view from my run and my finger in the way. :)

 Brianna waiting for me to catch up. 

Brianna and me at the end of our run/ride. 

Ooooh, I'm sore!

Sure enough, my muscles are SORE! The back of my thighs and right behind me knees are sore! That kicking uses a whole lot of different muscles. My arms are sore. I love it! I love the good soreness that comes from a good workout. Today I didn't run. My exercise was in the form of housework. That's a feat in itself. Cleaning up after 5 kids, not an easy task. Tomorrow I hope to run. I'd love to go outside and run, but we'll see what I have time for. I still have a lot of cleaning to do. 

Swimming, my first love.

I swam today. It was SOOO nice! I miss swimming. I used to swim all the time. So, I wasn't 100% sure what to do for a workout since it'd been SOO long. I started out with freestyle. I did 100 freestyle and at first my body wanted to breathe every 3 strokes like I used to, but that only lasted 50 yards before I had to start breathing every stroke. After I warmed up some I did 100 breast stroke, 100 side stroke, 100 freestyle, 100 breast stroke. After that I was feeling a little beat, so I pulled out the kickboard and switched off and on for 50 yards between flutter kick and breast stroke kick. I swam for 30 minutes and when I got out of the pool my arms were a little wobbly. I guess I didn't realize how much of a work out it really was. 800 yards in 30 minutes, not bad! I bet I will feel it tomorrow. All these new muscles that haven't been worked in forever. 

I'm really excited to do this every Tues and Thurs. The girls did great at the child center while I swam. Rose played and Emmett slept, what more could a mom ask for!?

Lost my mojo

Ugh... 

See, this is what happens when I don't eat as much as I should, I lose my mojo halfway through the workout. I was running off of 230 calories. That's not enough for a nursing momma. I stopped at 25 min, but pushed 5 more min to make it an even 30. I need to eat more before a workout and I need to drink more. Poor little Emmett wasn't too happy with me, his milk wasn't as filling as it normally is. 

Tomorrow I'm swimming. Tuesdays and Thursdays are my new swimming days. I'll run M,W,F, & SAT, but Tues and Thurs are going to be swimming. It's been forever since I've swam. I was on the swim team in 7th grade. As a teen I was a lifeguard and I'd swim 500+ yards like it was nothing. Now, I'm hoping to use it to shake up my exercise and get in better shape. I remember in high school telling my PE teacher that I'd swim a mile before I'd ever run a mile. LOL! 

4.5 miles! Yeah!

I did 4.5 miles in 60 min!! Yeah!! I felt great!! I ran 5 min/walked 2-3 min. I was SO excited to hit 4.5 miles. My max pace was 6.5, but that was only for a couple minutes. I walked at 4 and ran at 5. I even got it done earlier in the day. 

I like it!

Yesterday I took a rest day. Today I exercised. I walk/ran again. I got the first 25 minutes done before Emmett needed to eat. Mmmm... sweaty milk. lol! It wasn't until an hour later that I was able to finish my workout. The second half I started out run/walking and did 3 minutes run 2 minutes walk. I did one section that was 5 minutes running 3 minutes walking. I was feeling good, so I kept going to the full 5 minutes. I even ran one of the minutes at 6.0! Yay! I am really liking this run/walking. It makes the workout go by faster and I feel less warn out. 

I feel good today. It's nice to get my exercise done way before bedtime. I should really do it first thing in the morning, but I've gotta get all the sleep I can right now. Maybe in a couple months. 

Walk, run, walk, run, walk, run... repeat

So, I upped my time this week to 50 minutes. Today, rather than pushing my knee trying to run the whole time, I decided to run/walk the whole time. I walked the first 5 minutes and then ran 2 @5mph and walked 3 @ 4mph over and over until I hit 50 minutes. I feel like I got a better workout doing it that way and I didn't feel COMPLETELY exhausted after. I may have to keep doing it like that. I like the little break cause it helps me push it during the running part. Tomorrow I'll do the same. I may switch it to run 3 walk 2. We'll see. My knee was feeling good. It wasn't hurting, but I know if I pushed it, it would have hurt. 

Today's my hubby's 32nd birthday. Birthdays are a big deal in our family. We went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner...with 5 kids. HAHAHA! It wasn't easy.... Honestly though, the kids did pretty well. I think what made the situation tough was the fact that we have done SO well eating right for the past month and then went to and had this heavy fat loaded dinner (Country fried steak, 4 rolls with honey butter, a house salad with Italian dressing, and LOADED mashed potatoes). You never feel good when you're doing something wrong, no matter what it is. Today eating wrong changed the tune of our whole night. So much so, that we didn't even do a birthday cake. We felt so bad for eating that stuff that we couldn't bring ourselves to eat the cake too. Tomorrow we're back on track 100% and we'll do his birthday cake knowing that we earned it with eating right and working hard.

Gotta stay positive.

My knee's still aching some, so I've been trying to take it easy.

I got a new pair of shoes and we've been doing a 3 mile route around the lake as a family on a couple of the days (Saturday an Monday). Today I tried out the new shoes on the treadmill. I kept it around 3.5-4 cause my left knee was bugging me some. I keep telling myself that something is better than nothing and I've got to keep going even if I don't want to get out there. I didn't lose the weight last time by skipping out an cutting myself short. I lost it by working hard and being consistent. I'm almost at 5 lbs down. Not too bad for only doing this a couple weeks.

I tried making this sweet potato cauliflower soup for lunch today. It was SOO BLAND! Which reminds me... I had no meat today. Weird. I've never really done that before that I know of. I made eggplant Parmesan for dinner tonight. It was pretty good! I've never had eggplant before. The thing I noticed about today, I actually ate more today than I do on days I eat more protein. Interesting.

Tomorrow I hope to go outside again and get a walk in, but that will all depend on the weather.

Saturday's walk. The kids had fun, the weather was GREAT! We loved it!

Monday's walk was COOOOOLD!

The older kids did well scooting on their scooters, but the wind had such a COLD bite to it that the little kids were miserable halfway through and we had to cut it short. 

Slow 3 miles. I walked 90% of it between 3.5 and 4.

My hubby's SO great! He took me to get some new shoes after our walk on Saturday. I LOVE these shoes! Great cushion and they fit GREAT!

A little ache

Well, the past two days I didn't get any runs in and I can make excuses, but the two main ones are: I got my exercise through cleaning the house and my inner knees are aching a little. I think they needed a break from the treadmill. Today I couldn't get up to the pace I was hoping for until 35 minutes into it. Oh, well...at least I got up and did it. Tomorrow I'm hoping to run outside. If I'm still sore, it's either my shoes or the fact that the race I did had a BIG down hill and BIG up hill or that my I'm pushing it too much on the treadmill. 

I'm feeling good though. I feel like eating right and exercising is making a difference. My clothes aren't fitting any different yet and I'm not feeling totally sluggish on my runs, but I know it'll pay off the more I do it. I just need to not think about running and just do it. 

^That was me a couple times this week.

Keep on keeping on.

Jason's arm showing off the BodyBugg.

On January 24th Jason and I got our BodyBuggs in the mail after seeing this post by Our Best Bites. We've been using them and tracking with them every day since then and I LOVE it! As a mother of 5 you don't really realize all you do around the house. You don't ever really count it as exercise cause, well... it's what you do every day and it's not "exercise". After wearing the Bugg I can tell what days I do more chores and what days I just let it go. It's really been helpful in keeping me moving through out the day. The only downside I have seen is the syncing between the iphone and the Bugg. At first it was working great, but for some reason it started deleting my steps and syncing to the last sync. One day I did over 8500 steps and I synced it and it dropped down to 4200. Yeah, I wasn't happy. Now, I just plug it into the computer throughout the day and the info will show up on my iphone. 

1. (1-24-13) I started watching I Love Lucy while getting my exercise in. The goal is 15 min of vigorous and 30 min of moderate exercise.

2. (1-25-13) We went on a walk as a family around the lake in the cold. I'd say we got in about 2.5 miles. 

3. (1-28-13) 25 min on the elliptical and 20 min on the treadmill. I even ran (slow) for the 20 minutes!!

4. (1-29-13) "Ran" 15 min walked the rest. :) It was more of a trudge than a run, but I wasn't walking so, it counts! lol

5. (1-30-13) More Lucy, more treadmill. Gotta get back into running shape.

6. (1-31-13) Getting into a groove. Going farther in the same amount of time. Yay!

7.  (2-1-13) The joys of running on a treadmill.

8. (2-2-13) A walk around the neighborhood and then back and forth in the living room while watching Groundhog Day to finish off my 8000 steps for the day.

9. (2-4-13) They kept me company while I ran and upped the time by 5 min. Hit 4.7 on the treadmill.

10. (2-6-13) YES! I hit 3 miles! Ran 18 min of it. Yeah! Hit 4.8 on the treadmill

11. (2-9-13) Hale Freezes Over 5k!! 

12. (2-11-13) 3 mile walk/run!

13. (2-12-13) I didn't want to, but I did it anyway!! :) I ran a majority of it too and hit 5.0 on the treadmill. 

I'm going to try my hardest to get back to writing on here everyday. It's really nice to look back and read and see how far I've come. 

Oh! My starting weight on the BodyBugg was 220.6. My eating has been under control and I still have more than enough milk to feed Mr. Emmett. Yay for not losing my milk!

Hale Freezes Over 5k

This morning I got up and fed Emmett around 7 and then got everything ready for the race. I had to pick up my Bountiful Basket at 8, so I had to make sure I had everything ready to go. The forecast called for snow and temps in the 20s. I figured I'd bring my Yaktrax with me just incase it's really bad. Though, when I woke up there was only a light dusting of snow and I knew I'd be ok. I got everything all set up and ready and headed down to Orem for the race.

I was one of the first people there. I like being there early, it's a lot less stressful then trying to find a parking spot and such with everyone else. I picked up my packet while the race director was telling all the volunteers that the roads were slick and to tell everyone not to try for a PR. I was glad I brought my Yaktrax, but I was still debating on using them. I went back to the car to keep warm when one of the volunteers came knocking on the window cause I forgot to grab my bib. Well, duh... I totally forgot about the bib. Goes to show you how long it's been since I've ran a race.

It was about 45 minutes til the race started and I thought it'd be a good time to pump. I figured it'd feel better to pump right before the race... Gotta lighten the load. LOL!

It was time for the race to start. We headed down to the start line and I stood off to the side. I always stand off to the side towards the back of the group. I'm too slow to get up where everyone else is. I started out fine. My lower legs started aching while they warmed up, but I kept trudging along. I ran the first 1.6 miles without stopping. I knew there was a BIG hill coming up, so I chose to walk for about a 1/4 mile so I'd have enough energy to get up the hill. Once I came to the hill I started running again. I kept telling myself not to look up the hill. I didn't want to get discouraged. I made it up the hill, snow, ice, and all. I kept running and finished off the race strong. 

My goal was to beat the time I ran it the first time which was 44.49. I ended up running in 42.05. Not too bad considering I'm starting from scratch. 

My next race will be the South Jordan St. Patrick's Day 5k. 

A fine line

There's a fine line between dieting, exercise, and nursing. Today I walked that fine line with the result of a wicked headache. I thought it was because of my head cold and lack I sleep, but no. It was because I didn't eat enough today to compensate for my exercise and nursing.

I swear I did this with the last baby. I've either gotta figure out the perfect combo of nutrition or I have to quit the diet thing all around. I know I need extra for nursing and I need even more for exercise.

The thing that sucks is I did AWESOME with the old weight watchers program and nursing back before they switched it to points plus. I wish I could go back to that. Right now I'm trying to work with MyFitnessPal. I really liked it when I wasn't nursing, but they don't have an option for nursing moms.

Anyway, after eating something and having a ibuprofen, my headache went away and I was able to exercise tonight. I only went 30 minutes, but I did it. :) 1.75 miles.

Tomorrow I'll be smarter with my nutrition.

A new year!

Guess what! Guess what!! I won a free entry to a Run13 race!! I'm SO excited! I think I'll run the Hobbler Half. I ran the 5k a while back, but I've heard great things about the half and I'd love to run it. Plus my mom and dad will be back home from Africa and can be there to see me finish. :)

Today I did 45 minutes on the treadmill. I walked, but hey, it's a start. I felt pretty good considering I've been fighting a head cold for the past week. December was a crazy month I don't think I had one day to just rest. I can't wait to get into a routine again.

This week is an opportunity for me to get into a routine. The best time of day for me to exercise is either EARLY in the morning or during the kids quiet time in the afternoon. With the kids going back to school, my hubby going back to work, and the in-laws leaving, it'll be easier to get things done. I can't wait to be able to get back to normal.